It's nothing Man
by Chrisii
Summary: "You'd do the same for me." In which Antonio is more hurt after the brief skirmish in 2x14, and Jay takes care of him and makes sure that he is comfortable. (Alternate ending). NOT SLASH, JUST BROMANCE. #AntonioWump #CaringJay #Fluff


**TAG: 2X14**

 **Alternate Ending - Antonio didn't escape unscathed from his fight and Jay takes care of him that night, instead of Antonio sleeping with that woman.**

 **watch?v=VMHTgJkBdnA &t=36s**

* * *

It started with seeing Antonio struggle to stand up properly from a hunch, something which he was unconsciously doing a lot, and continued with the Latino flinching every time that someone clapped him on the back to regain his attention because Antonio had been lost in his mind.

One side of his face was slowly changing colour as the day went by, and when evening rolled in, the case was closed and they were all ready to go home, Antonio's side profile was one blossoming bruise, highlighting his jaw-line and darkening his eyes.

"Antonio?" Jay's voice was quiet, meant only for the other detective's ears.  
"Yeah Jay?" Antonio twisted, hiding a grimace as his body protested any movement.  
"Do you have any plans tonight?" Jay knew that it was a random question to ask, but he wouldn't back down now.  
"Not really, why?" Antonio fully turned, leaning back against the chair as he did so.  
"Mind if I come over, drink a few beers? I don't think any of us are in any state of mind to be alone right now." Jay shrugged, a hint of a smile evident on his lips.  
"How come you're not going over to Erin's?" Antonio didn't want to be a second choice if the couple was fighting, but wouldn't mind the company either way.  
"She's having trouble with her mother. Said she prefers to go to Voight's and I'm not going to push her to talk to me about it for now." Jay's eyes flickered to the ground before he spoke again; "You know what, never mind. Sorry for asking so suddenly, just thought you might like some company." Jay's blush was almost endearing, and Antonio grinned at his young friend.  
"I don't mind, I would like to have some friendly company tonight, anyway." Antonio shrugged as he went about to put everything in his bag and sliding it over the non-bruised shoulder.  
"You sure?"  
"Come on Jay, let's get out of here."

* * *

They only partook in small talk until they were both lounging on the sofa with beers in their hands, then talk inevitably turned to their hellish day at work.

"You know I keep seeingmy son laying there, drenched and cold and dead." Antonio shuddered, the words shivering as they left his mouth.  
"Your son is safe at home with his mother Antonio, nothing will get to him now." Antonio nodded, affirming the titbit of information. He had spent half the time convincing himself of that after seeing the boy's body. "You know what I keep seeing? You being tossed around like a ragdoll. What happened?" Jay continued on, his concern easy to discern.  
"He got the drop on me, happens sometimes." Antonio closed off, curling further into himself.  
"No, you were protecting your side, especially when he tossed you over that car." Jay turned, running practised eyes over Antonio's frame.  
"He had just punched me, Jay" Antonio shrugged before wincing as his bruises flared, still too fresh on his body.  
"He had just shot at you, in a narrow staircase, and you miraculously expect me to believe that you escaped unscathed?" Jay raised an eyebrow, scepticism bleeding through his words.  
"I was lucky, and he was far away."  
"Antonio, I've known you for five years. You never escape a bullet, do you really think you're going to hide an injury from me?"  
"I'm fine Halstead, I was just winded." Antonio huffed, clearly growing irritated with the younger detective.  
"Come on, remove your shirt." Jay wasn't deterred in the slightest.  
"At least buy me dinner before undressing me." It wasn't a complete agreement, but it wasn't a total denial either.  
"Fine, but you're not getting it out of it."

It took four to five beers and a take away pizza until Antonio was inebriated enough to not comment as Jay steered him to the bedroom, where he peeled off the older detective's many layers, leaving him only in his jeans. A hastily wrapped bandage around his left bicep and a myriad of bruises were revealed, the latter stretching from his waist to his shoulder on the left side, flourishing mostly on his back and showing clearly where he had connected with the bonnet of the car.

"You know I'm supposed to be your host, not your patient." Jay ignored the statement, only raising his eyebrow at the other as he ran a critical eye up and down his friend's upper body.  
"How did the bullet hit your bicep without tearing the jacket?" Jay's confusion was clear as he patted down his friend, noting with relief that no bones shifted underneath his probing fingers, even if Dawson groaned and flicked his hand away when Jay pressed against some bruises.  
"Jacket was open, bullet whizzed by and didn't touch it, just got my shirt." Dawson leaned back, wincing as his back collided with the soft mattress. His arms were spread, almost as if he was about to start making snow angels on the quilt.

"I'll clean it and change the bandage, then icepacks for your back and you can rest." Jay didn't wait for a reply before splitting the bandage with a pocket knife, revealing a graze on the underside of Dawson's bicep that started bleeding anew when Jay peeled the bandage away from the dried blood. Antonio winced, but otherwise didn't complain. There was no sound from the still figure on the bed as Jay prodded the injury, trying to gauge how deep it was. Slightly worried at the lack of response, Jay angled Antonio's head towards the light, subtly checking for signs of concussion and feeling glad when he only saw bone-deep exhaustion in the dark orbs.

"Where's your first aid kit?" Jay bent down, untying Antonio's boots and sliding them off of the detective's feet.  
"Bathroom, under the sink." Antonio sighed, his breath slightly stuttering as the alcohol refused to dim the pain.

"Okay, I'll go grab it. In the meantime, change out of your jeans man, but try to avoid a shirt for now." Jay hurried out, quickly finding his way to the only bathroom in the apartment and immediately spotting the first-aid kit where Antonio said it would be. He returned to the room, glad to see that the older detective was once again sitting on the edge of the bed, clad in a pair of sweatpants and goose bumps littering his skin as the cold air hit his upper body.

"Stop worrying so much Jay, I'm fine." The slight slur was enough to contradict the spoken statement, but Jay nodded all the same before dousing a piece of gauze in cleaning alcohol and promptly wiping down the cut on Antonio's cheekbone. The boxer hissed, unconsciously pulling back and immediately being met by Jay's other hand on the back of his neck, squeezing briefly before the cloth was pulled away. Antonio felt Jay put two strips on his face, covering the open wound.

"Sure you are. Come on, raise your arm." Jay was gentle as he swiped the graze beneath Antonio's arm, swiftly wrapping a bandage around the limb before he pulled the covers back and helped Antonio bury underneath them, the older man looking relieved as he cocooned himself in the blankets. "You can sleep Tony, but I'm still going to ice those bruises on your back and rub some cream into them so you'll be back on your feet - without wincing - in no time."

Antonio hummed, nodding briefly before easing his grip on the blankets, the small gesture being enough to tell the veteran that he could do as he pleased. By the time that Jay had put away the first-aid box and gathered the ice-packs and the ointment, Antonio was sprawled on his stomach, one hand underneath his pillow and the other stretched out, reaching for something that was not there. Jay almost felt bad as he wrapped the ice-pack in a towel before putting it on Antonio's warm back, noticing the older detective flinch and half-awaken before he fell asleep again after hearing mumbled reassurances from Jay. Despite the apparent bruising on his face, Jay had never seen Antonio sleep so peacefully, as the only times he had time to notice Dawson's sleeping habits was when the latter was in the hospital, and there had always been a faint grimace on his face as he recovered there.

Now however, his features were relaxed, the lines usually present on his forehead smoothed out as he drifted in blissful oblivion. He hadn't seen Antonio looking at peace since Laura left him, and the sudden divorce was still heavy on his friend's soul, making him guard his emotions with an iron lock until the dam broke and everything came pouring out, either in rage or in tears. More than once, Jay had noticed Antonio venting his frustrations out on a punching bag, or else working with bruised knuckles that were evidence of his previous nights. The team had been there, shouldering as much weight as Antonio allowed them but not pushing too much.

Pushing never works, as Antonio himself had said.

Everybody in the team had experienced loss and separation to some extent, but none of them, except for Alvin, had their wives leave them. However, Alvin had no qualms with entering the house and speaking to Lexi, unlike Antonio who would not even dream to go near Laura's house, much less just waltz in and talk to his kids. Jay knew that the man missed his children; who wouldn't? But he couldn't do anything in that aspect, except for listening when Antonio randomly narrated a mishap or another that they had done when they were younger.

He always sounded so fond when he was speaking about his kids.

Jay knew that cases regarding children always hit Antonio harder than most of the team, but he had never seen his friend so wrung out, especially after they had found the dead bodies of the kid and his father. The image was ingrained in all of their minds, forever there with no hopes of ever being forgotten, least of all by Antonio, who undoubtedly had seen his son there, laying dead just because they did not find him in time.

Removing the ice-pack, Jay wiped the liquid that had dribbled on Antonio's back before ever so gently rubbing the ointment in the bruises, especially in the livid ones near the detective's waist. He only stopped to mumble reassurances in Antonio's ears as the boxer stirred in pain, a familiar grimace shadowing his features before Jay's voice and the sensation of fingers threading through his hair calmed him down again.

Once done, Jay did not have the heart to wake him to dress him in a hoodie that he had been warming on the heater. Antonio looked too much in need of sleep to be awoken for something so trivial, so Jay just made sure to wrap the blanket tightly around his friend and added another one on top, making sure that Antonio was sufficiently covered before leaving the bedroom.

Three years of friendship assured Halstead that it was okay to steal a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, and a blanket for himself before he took a quick shower and collapsed on the couch, sleep stealing him quickly even if he remained with an ear open to any sounds coming from the room a few feet away.

* * *

He woke up to incoherent mumbles and unmistakable groans of pain as Dawson thrashed in his sleep, strangled screams echoing in the hallway that led to the bedroom. Jay didn't even glance at the time before he stumbled into the other's bedroom, pity twisting his heart as he saw Antonio struggling with the sheets, half-tangled in them as he struggled with the foe in his nightmare.

The peaceful expression was gone, replaced instead with a deep frown that shifted to a look of _absolute devastation_ as he keened, stilling his movements for a brief second before he was shifting again, agitation and nervousness clear in his jerky actions _._ His chest was gleaming with undoubtedly cold sweat, and Jay made a swift detour to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and dousing it in warm water before returning to the bedroom.

"Antonio? Come on Tony, wake up." Jay shook Antonio's shoulder roughly, straddling the man to stop him from falling off of the bed and restraining his wrists to avoid getting punched in the face as Antonio woke up with a deep cough, choking on air and clearly panicking as his eyes flickered around the room, never focusing on Jay's face until the younger detective grabbed his chin and forced him to do so.

"Where's Diego?" The cold tone immediately told Jay that Antonio was still not completely awake, and Jay gently released his iron grip on the man's wrists, surprised when Antonio remained utterly still.  
"He's with Laura, he's safe. Come on Antonio, wake up!" The order he instilled in his voice did the trick, and Jay saw Antonio's eyes clear as he blinked up owlishly, clearly surprised to see the other detective on top of him. "You with me?"  
"Yeah, what happened?" Antonio sighed, wincing as the bruises protested being pressed to the bed by Jay's weight. Seeing the wince, Jay immediately swung off, sitting on the edge of the bed and giving the other the chance to turn on his side again.  
"Nightmare. You ok?" Jay's eyes were dark with concern and Antonio smiled at him, grasping the cloth from the bedside table and wiping down his face, relishing the soft material before he dumped it on the nightstand again.  
"Nothing I'm not used to. Go back to sleep Jay, thanks for waking me." Recognizing the message for what it was, a dismissal, Jay nodded, picked up the blanket from the floor and dumped it on the bed again before going to the couch, only then noticing that it was 3am.

He stayed up, hearing Antonio shift around as he pushed the nightmare out of his mind and found a comfortable position again before there was absolute silence in the apartment again.

He only fell asleep at 4:30, still half-awake to remain alert to any of Antonio's nightmares. The man needed to sleep, and Jay wanted to make sure of that.

* * *

Antonio woke up slowly. He blinked wearily, gazing around his room as he oriented himself. The long sleep had done wonders to his exhaustion, and Antonio was tempted to curl back up and continue to rest, but there was no chance of that happening now that he had fully woken up. He stretched, groaning gutturally when his bones cracked and his bruises flared slightly with pain before he relaxed, flopping back on the bed and relishing in the relaxation that he could feel in his limbs.

He turned his head to check the time, furrowing his brows when he saw a facecloth there. He didn't leave that there for sure. That being noticed, Antonio suddenly realised that he was shirtless, and considering that it had been snowing yesterday, he definitely would not have gone to bed in nothing but a pair of sweats, even if there was an extra blanket on his quilt.

An extra blanket which he usually reserved for when Diego came over, in case he felt cold.

How out of it had he been last night? He didn't recall going out for drinks, even if he and Jay had cracked a couple of beers.

Jay.

Everything suddenly rushed to the forefront of his mind, and Antonio winced as he remembered Jay taking care of him and making sure that he was not in pain before disappearing. Had he left, or had Antonio fallen asleep where the memory ended? He couldn't recall anything past Jay bandaging his arm and icing his back... Deciding that there was only one way to find out, Antonio rolled out of bed, shivering as the cold air hit his bare skin. He made his bed and picked out a fresh, warm outfit before locking himself in the bathroom, ready to go through his usual routine of becoming a normal human being before 9am.

After taking his time to shower, Antonio ran a brush through his hair, deciding to forgo the gel for one day, and headed to the kitchen/living area, where he was met with the endearing sight of a suspiciously human-shaped blanket on the couch.

Jay was laying on his stomach, head turned towards the back of the sofa and almost suffocating himself in the pillow that he had stolen from somewhere around Antonio's flat. An arm was dangling towards the floor, knuckles brushing the carpet. Antonio could not see anything else except for Jay's closed eyes and the dishevelled hair that stuck out from underneath the blanket that Jay was curled up under, snores escaping every now and then.

Antonio felt a soft smile lift his features before he gently walked away, not wanting to wake up the sleeping bear before breakfast was ready. He was surprised by the friendship that had formed between him and the veteran, who had been hostile and closed off from any kinds of social interactions up until Antonio dragged him out from the random gigs that he did and gave him a safe haven; a family. Unsurprisingly, Antonio was still Jay's go-to person, even if Erin was slowly growing on the ex-soldier as well.

He dropped the eggs in the frying pain, wincing as he stretched to get the salt and pepper even as he remembered the day that Jay had vehemently requested Antonio to pull some strings and get him into intelligence. He had seen something in the kid that day; potential, not just as a great friend and an even greater partner, but as a passionate detective, one that would go to great lengths to bring the bad guys down.

A tough exterior, but a warm heart at the very basis of his character.

Antonio had witnessed more of Jay's warmth since his divorce, the young man occasionally showing up uninvited for beers and to watch a game, unashamedly taking up Antonio's time and succeeding in distracting him from the silence that he used to crave, but now detested with all of his heart.

The sound of the phone ringing broke through his musings, and Antonio fished it out of his pocket before realising that it wasn't his, and Jay was stirring, arm blindly hitting the coffee table to try and shut the device off.

Antonio got there first, prying Jay's hand away and answering the phone when he saw that it was Voight.

"Antonio, will you make it in today?" Voight didn't even sound marginally surprised that Jay was not the one picking up the phone.  
"Yeah, bit late though, sleeping beauty is just waking up. He needed it." Antonio grinned as Jay squinted up at him, mouthing the word 'traitor' silently as he sat up, blinking owlishly to try and come to his senses.  
"I'll message you the address if we get a case." There was no goodbye before the call was cut off from the other side, his boss having unceremoniously hung up after delivering his message.  
"Well, breakfast is almost ready. Go freshen up, you still have that clean set of clothes in the wardrobe." Jay nodded mutely, stretching and releasing a sigh of relief as his muscles pulled and his bones cracked. "And put my clothes in the hamper, you thief!" Antonio called behind the retreating form, releasing a small laugh as Jay flipped him the bird over his shoulder.

A quarter of an hour later, Jay was munching on breakfast, still yawning every now and then. After the fifth silent yawn, Antonio placed a burning coffee in front of the younger detective, catching the look of gratitude as Jay breathed in the aroma of freshly grounded beans before starting to sip at the boiling liquid.

"Hey Jay, thank you for yesterday. I only remember bits and pieces honestly, but I appreciate all that you did with me." Antonio smiled at the younger detective, who frowned slightly before realisation dawned on his features.  
"It was nothing man, you'd do the same for me." Jay shrugged off the praise in his typical fashion, finishing off the coffee and dropping the mug in the sink before grabbing his jacket and slipping all of his belongings in the various pockets.  
"Here, it's cold today." Antonio threw Jay a scarf, knowing that the other was easily chilled and would freeze if he went out with a bare neck in the air that had snow hanging by a thread in it.  
"Thanks man, you still better crank up the heater." Jay wrapped the fabric around his neck, visibly relishing the warmth.  
"When don't I? Come on, let's go." Antonio grinned, tapping the other on his shoulder in a sign of his gratitude before heading out of the apartment, waiting for Jay to exit before he locked the door, ready to face yet another day, and yet another sick criminal on the freezing streets of Chicago.

* * *

 **Hey guys! So, I noticed that this fandom has a serious lack of Antonio!Whump and Caring!Team/Jay, so I took it upon myself to write up a few random, short-ish oneshots whenever I get the chance, all Antonio-centric and having a caring Jay and/or caring Olinsky, because their friendship is just glorious to be honest.**

 **Anyway, got two more ideas coming up, but also exams, so they might take a bit of time to be uploaded.**

 **So, usual note - If you liked, or would like to criticise something, feel free to drop a review below. I accept anything but senseless flames kiddos, let's stay civil.**

 **I am aware that this is not among my best-works, it was a very random idea XD**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago PD and am not making any profit from this.**

 **-Chrisii**

 **Peace out!**


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